Eschatology of Hope. What is... Redemption of Creation?
Dan and I will discuss the thoroughness of salvation in Christ. This is part three in the series, Eschatology of Hope: Redemption.
Transcript
Hey, good morning. This is the truth in love. We are glad that you are watching the video with us
We've done this before we got started. I'm turning the volume down on my phone and right there's why I needed to do it
We we appreciate you taking time to Watch the videos come with us if we can pray for you
Let us know all you have to do is type me and my computers give me notification If you have any questions if you want to talk about anything we'll stop what we're doing we'll try to answer questions
We'll have a conversation with you. We'd love to have a conversation with you. This is just a conversation between Dan and myself
Looking at God's Word Asking the Holy Spirit to reveal himself to us what he wrote down how he wanted to understand it
So we're we're not professionals we're not experts we realize that from God's Word and from experience
That tells us that we can do nothing apart from time so we lean totally on him and so We we want to do that this morning
This Is truth and love and we get that from Ephesians 4 verse 15 Paul tells us but speaking the truth and love we are to grow up in all aspects in the end
Who's the head even and eschatology is one of those aspects that we want to grow up into Christ We want to know who he is what he's about what he's going to do what he's done
Every aspect of Christ so that every aspect of Christ can be lived out through us again, if you have any questions, just just Leave it in the comment section.
Let us know that you're watching. Say hi. We'd love to hear from you Love to speak to you
We're continuing our series Danny not on eschatology It's pretty much going every other week our series right now is eschatology of hope redemption what is the redemption of Hope dot dot dot and our
Tim Collard. Good morning That we're in a series of three right now the redemption of the individual and we've already looked at that one today
We're going to look at redemption of creation And next we're gonna look at redemption of culture and Dan and I have already done a video also on the new heavens and the new
Earth and I'd encourage you to look at those You're somebody we'd love to have you give us a heart there you give us a heart and a share you think would be encouraging for other folks
We we're not trying to be anybody special. We're just individuals who want to share the
Word of God and we sometimes you have to use the that games the algorithm algorithms of the software, they're using the programs that we're using and and the
Facebook or whatever that they use you have to have the hearts and the shares in the comments so that Other people can see it and we want other people to see the good news of Jesus Christ rather than All the other stuff that's going on in the world
So Dan, good morning. Welcome to you. Thank you for joining me. We're in we're talking about Eschatology and I want to ask you to tell us why it's important But let me define it again for or maybe somebody who's not familiar eschatology simply means in times or last things so What's been popular in in our generation has been the the left -behind series books movies
Before that kind of In the last generation you had a book called the late great planet
Earth by Hal Lindsey I'm not promoting.
I'm not promoting. I'm just trying to make connection with with eschatology that big theological word and What people may be familiar with The the theology the eschatology that those two books and movies promote is not the one that Dan and I see in Scripture The the the eschatology that those books and movies promote
Will use another big theological word Dispensational pre -millennial ism pre -tribulation rapture
That's where you see those theologies Dan and I see what they call post millennial ism in Scripture And we want to talk about that this morning.
But why do we want to talk about it? I think the a Popular attitude that I see when
I was growing up speaking to folks. Is that well,
I know I know you can learn about last things in times from Revelation, but that book is just too hard to understand and It'll all pan out in the end
Hey Jason, good morning. They say I'm a pan millennialist. It'll all pan out in the end.
I don't need to worry about it But but I'm I'm thankful that that wasn't the attitude with the folks in the
Old Testament I mean they were looking for Messiah to come they maybe we're looking for some of the wrong things, but they were looking for and they
They knew where to Where he was going to be born. I mean they knew that information. They had people who studied and knew
God's Word And so we want to be students with God's Word. We want to listen to him
So Dan, why is studying eschatology important? Why is it not not a good idea to just put it on the back burner?
Yeah, eschatology is important to study because the way that we view what's going to happen in the future determines
To some extent what we do in the present If we think that the world's going to end any moment.
We're waiting to be caught up by a rapture Our emphasis is going to be on things that are immediate and right in front of our face
It was a fellow named Warren Weir's be in one of his commentaries said that you do not polish the brass on a sinking ship
Speaking about our culture saying that we don't need to worry about our culture and how we do things so much we need to worry about our personal piety and And taking care of ourselves because the next generation is probably not even going to be here if they are
They're not going to be here for long We don't need to worry about culture as much because culture is not going to last it's going to be gone
Obviously that was no he wrote that over 60 years ago. So it's been a little bit a little bit longer than 1988
There was people who during that time period leading up to 1988 Which was a big year a lot of folks said that Jesus was coming back in 1988
Rapture hatch All right A lot of folks leading up to that time period
Thought that Jesus was coming that year. They were getting ready to go. They sold their possessions they went into debt maxed out their credit cards and And now it was an extreme example, but they they financially ruined themselves for the rest of their lives because of What I view is is a faulty eschatology, whereas if you take an
Postmillennial perspective you're gonna be more focused on the future realizing that God is going to gradually
Take dominion over the earth through the salvation of people through the outworking of those
Saints living their lives and a godly manner on the earth you take more care for your
Should take more care for your culture for the education of your children for building lasting institutions in the world for producing
Sustainable economies for people in the church. You do all those things as well as worrying about your personal piety and The piety of those in the church that you're a part of Now not everybody is consistent.
So you'll have people who are Dispensational pre -millennialists who are very involved in their culture.
They are involved in politics. They're involved in all sorts of things I would say inconsistently, but that's great.
They see the commands in Scripture to You know be salt and light in the world and they act on it accordingly
But it does have an effect To some degree at least on how we view the world
Do we view it as? Okay, things are getting worse. So let me prepare more and more for the end or Things are getting worse sin is running its course this means that Christ is going to put this enemy under his feet and I need to be prepared with the gospel in order to provide a solution to these problems and To show the hope of Christ as the world progresses throughout history
You'll see Some inconsistencies on both sides, but there is a general worldview application to the study of eschatology
And it you'll you'll you'll see there's I got some feedback again.
Sorry And I'm trying to remember the name of the the group the conservative right back in the 80s
What what was the what they call themselves? Moral majority the moral majority.
Yeah, that's where you can you may be familiar with with that group of folks that that terminology
Maybe you grew up in in that time period where you had the moral majority and and I would say the majority of those folks probably held to the pre -millennial dispensational view
Looking for the rapture, but yet they were heavily involved in culture in politics trying to trying to make the
United States a better place and you know that helped or helped lead to What a lot of folks do, you know putting the
American flag above the cross Worried worried a lot about saving
America But that that's just to talk about the inconsistency that Dan was talking about where he you preach from the pulpit
Jesus is it could come back tomorrow be ready for the rapture, but yet during the week
We're we're trying to save America But we want to have a consistent theology a theology that we we see
Not putting into scripture what we wanted to say But but pulling out from scripture and what we pull out from scripture.
We want to be consistent We don't want to have hypocrisy in our theology
So that kind of leads us to our topic this morning What is what is eschatology what is the eschatology of hope redemption of creation and the first one of the first verses that I thought of was the
Sermon on the Mount Where Jesus was was speaking to the folks there Matthew chapter 5 verse 5
He says blessed are the my we were talking about this earlier my 1977
New American Standard says blessed are the gentle But your translation may bless it may say blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth and a lot of times and I think
I think our eschatology Has influence on how we interpret scripture how we read scripture because you'll see you'll hear sermons
You'll hear conversations. You'll hear see articles, whatever the case may be on the first half of that verse
We want to focus on that How to be me. What does it mean to be me?
What does meekness look like? How was Jesus me Jesus was meek and mild so we want to understand what it means to be me because That is something that Jesus is saying that we should do we should be meek
So there's the focus it seems like on the first half of that verse And we don't really think about the second half where they shall inherit the earth
And there could be many reasons why we don't focus on that second part I mean you could turn on the news and say
I Get to inherit this You've got all this
Turmoil and you all these bad things happening and and you think yourself I get to inherit this is this what he's talking about So you put eschatology like we were talking about you put eschatology on the back burner.
You don't think about it You're a pan millennialist. It's not important or you you may think now
The the similarities that we have with the other eschatologies the the pre -millennial the amillennial
The Bible teaches that there's going to be a new heaven and a new earth the other
Eschatologies say all of this is going to happen Later on the earth is going to burn up.
God is going to make make it all brand -new After after the cleansing
So if it's going to happen You know way off in the distant future Then I don't need to really worry about the second half of that verse.
I just need to worry about The first part the personal piety that Dan was talking about That's the part that we want to focus on is the holiness personal piety part of it how to be me but Jesus says blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth and You think about the verse that Dan just talked about Why are we commanded to be salt and light?
Why do we need to preserve the earth? What it why why should we preserve anything if it's just going if we're going to be taken out of here at any moment and It's all going to be burned up.
Why what are we preserved it just there's inconsistencies in how our eschatology helps us to When it causes us to interpret scripture that way so So we're going to inherit the earth
The earth is going to be part of you're going to have heaven you're going to have earth And so we can't we can't leave that out and what
God is doing here on the earth and that leads me to That leads me to Colossians because we want to talk about Where we get this information the topic?
redemption of creation What why is?
Why do we need to talk about creation and culture? Why polish why polish the brass as Dan said if the ships going down why not just worry about personal piety and evangelism
Because we see from scripture God is doing something We we don't see that secret rapture taught in the scripture
We see we don't see the millennium Happening at a later date
You know if if that secret rapture is not in scripture then that future millennial time period
We've got a we got to come up with something else because that you're kind of waiting on the rapture to happen So that Jesus can come rain physically here on the earth and during this millennial time period
But if if they if there's no Rapture Bible doesn't teach a secret rapture then
We've got to come up with something else. So what do we see we can go to Colossians chapter 1
And we we look at this this explanation of Jesus and and who he is
And it tells us a few things about what he's doing if you start in verse 13 for he delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved
Son in whom we have redemption forgiveness of sins and He is the image of the invisible
God the firstborn of all creation So there there The scriptures bringing in all of creation for by him all things were created
So we're bringing in creation again. All things were created both in the heavens and on the earth.
So we're speaking of the the heavenly bodies We're speaking of the spiritual realm, you know everything the planets the stars the space dust and we're speaking of the angels and Principalities the invisible things talk about all those things heavens and on earth visible invisible
Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created by him and for him.
That's our God That's Jesus Christ and he is before all things and in him all things hold together
He is the head of the body the church and he is the beginning the firstborn from the dead
So that he himself might come to have first place in everything Where it was the father's good pleasure for all the fullness of fullness to dwell in him and through him to reconcile
All things to himself having made peace to the blood of his cross through him
I say whether things on earth or things in heaven that last verse 20 that last verse is key there through his blood what he did on the cross and raising from the dead
Through what Jesus did the Bible tells us that he is reconciling all things to himself
That's why we don't just stop with that the first topic that we looked at redemption of the individual
Jesus Jesus work on the cross is More thorough than that it reaches
Far greater than just the redemption of the individual. He is a reconciling all things to himself
Through the blood of the cross things on the earth and things in heaven.
What do you say that Daniel? Oh Man I got a lot to say It It probably helpful to understand exactly
Why The creation needs to be redeemed in the first place Absolutely, we understand that that the creation was created good
We if we look back at Genesis in chapter 1 We see that it says in After he created all things except for mankind he says
In verse 25 So God made the wildlife and the earth according to their kinds the livestock according to their kinds and all creatures
The crawl on the ground according to their kinds and saw that it was very good he then made man in his own image to look over the earth to rule over the fish of the
Fish of the sea the birds of the sky the livestock the whole earth And the creatures that crawl on them were made in the image of God And then it goes down into verse 31 says
God saw all that he had made and indeed it was very good now some people want to say that this means that Mankind the creation was good beforehand, but God made man and now it's very good.
So man is some sort of A special thing that makes everything very good.
I don't think that's the case I think what he was saying there is when God because the whole
Context of Genesis 1 isn't about mankind a whole context of Genesis 1 is about The way that God has created all things so since he's created all things and he created them all very good when he was done with his creation by Creating man to rule over the earth
It was very good because God was finished with his creation. He was done. He had made a completed whole
That's why the creation was very good so we put that in contrast with What we see later on in chapter 3 chapter 3 mankind
Takes the fruit that we weren't supposed to take from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil we plunge ourselves into sin
But it wasn't just ourselves that we plunged into sin If we look at chapter 3 verse 17
It says and he said to the man Because you listen to your wife and ate from the tree about which
I commanded you do not eat from it The ground is cursed because of you You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life and in verse 18
It says it will produce thorns and thistles for you See God created the world in order to glorify himself
He created mankind to take care of the world He placed us as his image bearers in the world to subdue the world to make everything
Basically to to show his his glory throughout all of creation have us be caretakers of that showing of glory
So we entered into sin We brought with us a stain upon his creation notice that it didn't curse mankind
In verse 17 it says the ground is cursed because of you See God's glory was supposed to be shown by us working the earth by a subduing those parts outside of the garden that weren't
Created as a garden We were supposed to take the land and make it look like the Garden of Eden Everywhere across the whole the whole face of the planet
To subdue it to populate it to have God's image stamped all over the globe
Yeah, and you see that Sorry to interrupt you, but you see that in in Genesis chapter 1
A lot of times we just focus on the garden, but listen to the language verse 26 that Dan wrote
Do what I didn't write it I mean it read read sorry Over Over the cattle over all the earth, so we
We can leave. Yes. The garden was there. They were they were in the garden. They they walked in the garden but his his mandate was
For the whole earth and then be fruitful and multiply and fill the garden
That's not what it says It says fill the earth and then in verse 29 then
God said behold I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth.
Not just the garden But the whole earth and so we're talking about a whole earth mandate here in Genesis, right?
It's almost like he gave us a blueprint in the garden to go make the whole world look like this
Where no the vegetation and the plants sure but where relationship between God and man is
Covering the entire earth in its right state a relationship between God and man
It was I thought it was interesting That the curse that came it came upon the earth and it made everything more difficult we see in Verse 21 that God made clothing from the skins of from skins for man and his wife
Yeah, not pile up in cities, it's exactly right But what happened there is that an animal died the death hadn't occurred before then so what you see is their sin is then seen in the creation as a
Part of creation died in order to clothe them to cover them, which is a picture of the gospel that the lamb would one day come
His life would be given in order to cover our shame and nakedness our sin It's a picture of the gospel
But what it also shows is what Adam and Eve had to have been experiencing and seeing at the time
Because up until then they'd seen a perfect earth a perfect garden Perfect relationship with God no sin and then sin hits
Now they see death in the next chapter we see that they had children others great pain and childbearing
They see one of their sons kill another one of their sons They see animals begin to eat one another rip each other's flesh to see the thorns and the thistles in the ground
The entire creation that they had seen beforehand was falling apart in front of them.
They saw death and mayhem decay Miscarriage would have happened at some point down the line.
Oh See their life was tied to the ground to the to the earth When that was cursed
Everything fell apart So they were thinking of that promise that he would come and crush the head of the serpent
Because they were reminded constantly because of the earth being a
Tainted with sin that it was cursed for their sake that they would have to struggle which is really interesting that the only thing that you see as a actual
Representation of what was going to happen if you look back at verse 18 Chapter 3 verse 18. It says it will produce thorns and thistles for you and you will eat plants of the field if you remember
When Jesus was on the cross He took our sins upon himself
He was crowned with the crown of thorns He was he took upon himself the sin of mankind
In order to redeem all of creation to take away the curse that was placed on the earth
Those thorns and thistles that were allowed to enter into the earth at that point that the that was what?
The earth was going to give mankind Christ Symbolically took that to himself
In order to remove the curse not just for mankind, but also from the earth in general now,
I think Think there's some confusion on why the earth was cursed but Leviticus 18 tells us that when we sin the ground around us
Almost soaks up our sin But Leviticus speak for itself
Chapter 18 verses 24 and 25 it says
Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices. He went through a whole list of sins
They're killing your children improper sexual relations Don't do not defile yourselves by any of these practices for the nations
I'm driving out before you defile themselves by all these things The land has become defiled.
So I'm punishing it for its iniquity and the land will vomit out its inhabitants
So even though the land was cursed the land was kind of Still being obedient to God It had to endure the pains of our sin, but it was still doing what
God would have it to do So we see then in if we move through the Genesis story to Noah God looked over the face of the earth and he was gonna wipe off the animals and Mankind is gonna wipe it all off and leave the earth left
But then Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. It's a picture of baptism as we see in 1st
Peter That what happened? It's a picture of Christ that In the washing away of sin
Christ and those who are his are Preserved through the washing of the earth.
It's Christ's redemption of the entire creation Which I think is just fantastic Now getting because I know
I went all the way around to try to get to the point that you asked before from Colossians if we look in Romans 8
And I'm still going around. I'm coming. I'm coming coming for you If I could interject while we're going to Romans 8 talking about the involvement of creation it just reminds me of the numerous times in the
Old Testament Where the earth and the heavens are called upon as witnesses against Israel So that I mean, they're they're heavily the earth and the heavens are heavily involved
We're we're not we are the crown of creation. I guess you would say but Crew creation is not left out
Right creation is the earth and the heavens were affected by the fall
And as you're as you're leading us to affected in Reconciliation, right?
Yeah and so that what the creation is doing now is Kind of what we as redeemed redeemed individuals are doing now
As redeemed individuals, we know that we stand justified before God but we
We still sin and as redeemed individuals. We hate it We want that sin to go away
We'd long for the day when we no longer have to deal with sin and the effects of it with decay and bodies breaking down and having to deal with Fights over here and wars over there.
We want it to all go away if we look at Romans 8 starting in verse 18 says for I consider the sufferings of this present time are
Not worth comparing to the glory that is going to be revealed to us. Now. This is all talking about salvation in Romans 8
For the creation is eagerly or eagerly waits with anticipation for God's sons to be revealed
He's the creation itself is awaiting for the full number of those who are going to be saved by God to be revealed
And why is that? For creation was subjected to futility Not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in other words
It fell under the curse of sin not because of its own doing but because we thrust sin upon the creation in Hope that the creation itself
Will also be set free from the bondage to decay and the glorious freedom of God's children that the creation would find
Restoration wouldn't have to face decay anymore in the act of us as humans being redeemed
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now
Not only that but we ourselves Who have this spirit as firstfruits we grown within ourselves eagerly awaiting adoption for the redemption of our?
bodies What the creation is doing it's awaiting its time
Where it will be fully and completely Redeemed and have sin pulled away from it now point at which
Post -millennialists are different is When will that? Redemption take place or at least when will it start to take place?
as We discussed a few sessions ago We believe that the new heavens and the new earth is
A reality that is being that has begun or been inaugurated But will find its completion in the future
So when we look at the redemption of creation we look at The the truth of what we looked at before and the new heavens in the north we go back to Isaiah 65 and then
Isaiah 65 I'm not gonna go through the whole thing Because I took a really long time to do that the first time so just kind of go over it in summary form
For in 17 and 18 says for I will create a new heaven and a new earth the past events will not be remembered or come to mind
Then be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating For I will create
Jerusalem to be a joy is On unrolling the effects of sin
He's pulling back the decay and the destruction that is upon the earth in our salvation now
Versus 19 through 23. We see that those are pulled back While we're still on the earth because there's still death in those verses there's
Death that's not going to happen in that the miscarriages are going to Come back and then cease
But people will still die those who are Righteous will or those who are wicked will live to a hundred years old and People they'll die and people say why did he die so young?
I don't even know if I'll make it to 100 But people to think that is young is ridiculous
In verse 24 we see that salvation is at the center before they even call I will answer while they're speaking
I will hear God is in the midst of this process creating all things anew his redemption is being applied to mankind and creation itself and the result is that the wolf and The lamb the wolf and the lamb will feed together and the lion will eat straw like the cattle
But the serpents food will be dust And it will be upon it all his holy mountain
A Revelation 21 show as we went over before shows us the completion of that that one day all these things will be completely
Fulfilled that sin will be done away with and the result of all that we can actually see in Revelation 22 the first bits of it says before we move to Revelation You might if I make some comments about Isaiah 65, oh, yeah, sure
Just basically what I was seeing in in Isaiah 65 and I think
I think we pointed this out well when we talked about the new heavens in the new earth and We went we're in Isaiah 65.
We went to Revelation 21 and we saw Isaiah 65 is more of what's going on now
And then Revelation 21 is Mostly or some of it is the future the completion of it the glorification here we have the sanctification and there we have the glorification and We've talked about the garden.
We talked about Adam and Eve and and how They brought sin into the world because of their disobedience
But we we looked at their mandates their their creation mandates to go fill the earth subdue the earth
Authority over over the earth and You know, they they messed all that up and and it became hard for them to do that But here in Isaiah 65 where we see that the new heavens in the new earth
Which you we've talked about already been all your inaugurated Beginning the sanctification of it as is taking place.
And what does that look like for us? as members of this
Being sanctified new heavens and new earth Dan brought out the point, you know people are going to live longer
An old man who does not live out his days for the youth will die at the age of 100 and The one who does not reach the age of 100 shall be thought accursed
I Really like to at some point because I heard it
I've heard it talked about before Looking at the original language on what that meant to subdue the earth and what what the intention was there because if we are
If we're subduing the earth we we are taking
God's creation and You know, we're not just managing it but using it and here
It may not it may not be just a you know a supernatural thing that we're what you know are the average age was
You know 55 now. It's 255 You know, maybe it's it's
We're we're understanding creation we're understanding our bodies we're understanding medicine we're understanding vitamins
All those things may be a part of this We're utilizing
God's creation to the way it was intended to be used what to eat well not to eat
And then you go on verse 21 and they shall build houses and inhabit them and They shall also plant vineyards and eat from their fruit
You see that happening now of course, you know, it's been happening for a long time people building houses and and and and inhabiting them but um the part of the curse with with Adam and Eve was that they would work and it would be difficult for them and For so so many times yeah, you had you have you've always had your elite you always said you're rich you've always said you're poor and it was easier for some than the others, but As time has gone on and as the as the new earth and new heavens as they move forward it seems as if things will will go back to Garden expectations,
I guess we could say Where we're Adam his work
And I can you know, my family has never been part of the elite class
I can think to back to my grandparents my great -grandparents my great -great -grandparents and they work from Sun up to Sun down and the reason they had so many children was because they had farms and they had to have people to tend the farm and You know you go back to early
Americas You had to keep the fire going in the house 24 7
So that you could have heat so that you could have food and somebody had to tend that did you have time to Get on Facebook if you if you were tending the fire if you were preparing the next meal you didn't have time for all those things, but as the as the new heavens and the new earth progressed as it sanctifies it seems as if We are having
We're having to spend less time in the field To use that language so that we can spend more time in the spiritual
Kingdom work And it even Isaiah 65 even kind of Speaks to that if if I'm looking at it correctly verse 22, they shall not build and Another inhabit they shall not plant and another eat
For as the lifetime of a tree so shall the days be of my people my chosen ones shall wear out the work of their hands another translation say they shall enjoy think about the garden and and leaving leaving the garden and had the work that they had to do you you will
You will sweat and the work will be hard and you think about our Past generations and and the work that they had to do from sunup to sundown
Fully dependent on the work that they did to survive To live the next day and to prepare for the winter and all the work that they had to do.
I Can't imagine it was always Joyful, but here as as we sanctify
Are being sanctified in this new heavens a new earth the work that we will do
It says that we we will enjoy will enjoy our work So it's almost as if we're moving from that that curse in the garden or where it will be wholesome and and it will be hard and We're moving to where the work will be
Less in the field. So we focus on the kingdom. We'll actually enjoy the work of our hands.
Does that make sense at all? Yeah Remember I brought up the the passage in Leviticus it talked about the land taking on our sin think of this from a redemption of man standpoint if If if as God works and the gospel permeates the globe as more and more people come to know
Christ as They sin less and less they are putting less sin into the ground around us
The less sin the less it wants to vomit us out the easier it is For things around us now, that's not always the case and God is in complete control of his creation
It's that's a general principle God can do what he wants when he wants how he wants to do it and does and We always relate to him on that basis
But as a general principle, yeah as we see Less sin in the world
We can expect to see some sort of temporal lifting of that curse
Because it it's trending towards that final Consummation where God has taken away all sin.
It's moving Slowly and gradually as Christ puts his enemies under his feet as he takes dominion
We're moving in that trajectory, you know through fits and spurts, of course But yeah, you're making a lot of sense
All right. You want to go ahead and take the revelation chapter 21? Just 22 but just very good.
Yeah, just to show kind of what the The end looks like okay Then he showed me the river of water of life
Clear as crystal flowing from the throne of God and the lamb down the middle of the city's Main Street The tree of life was on each side of the river
Bearing twelve kinds of fruit producing its fruit every month the leaves of the trees are for the healing the nation's
There will no longer be any curse The throne of God and the lamb will be in the city and his servants will worship him
They will see his face and they will his name will be on their foreheads Night will be known more
People would not need the light of the lamp or the light of the Sun because the Lord God will give them light
And they will reign forever and ever the end of all this redemption
Because it's one act. We're just looking at aspects of redemption When it's all said and done.
We'll see because of Christ's work on the cross a redeemed people a perfect creation and Well as we'll look at in a few weeks a perfect culture in which we live in the creation as a redeemed people it's all
It's all wonderful. No, we could go in a thousand different directions from here looking at how that looks or how that goes or different ways of seeing redemption of creation in Scripture I mean, it's sprinkled all throughout just little details here little details.
They're Bunchy if you want to give us some of those highlights, that would be good as we wrap things up.
I just wanted to For clarification purposes just make a few more points about Why and how we're seeing that in Scripture taking place now, you've already mentioned one of those
Verses which is quoted several times in the scripture, we're
We're told that that Jesus is putting his enemies. He must reign
And he's reigning now That language is clear. He must reign and he's reigning now
We don't have to wait for a future reign and While he's reigning he is putting his enemies under his feet and that last enemy is going to be death
Which is of course yes in the future. It's gonna happen last But right now he is he must reign he is reigning and while he's reigning
He's putting his enemies under his feet that's taking place right now It is very clear from Scripture that he ascended into heaven.
He's sitting at the right hand of the father That is his position he is king of kings and he is reigning and what does he do while he's reigning
Bible tells us he's putting his enemies under his feet and that's what Dan and I've been talking about is taking place this this leaving the curse removing sin leaving
That's what that's what that means sin leaving the earth. Jesus is putting his enemies under his feet
And so that's why the our relationship with creation is better because We are being redeemed.
Therefore creation is being redeemed. Therefore. We have a better relationship and then we were seeing the
Gospels we're told that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed planted in the garden and And then it it starts out really small and then it rose into this huge tree
And then what is the what's the picture painted there that the birds will come in and rest in its branches
He uses the example of creation the birds will come rest and in his branches or the branches of the tree and then the
Leaven, he used a little bit of leaven, but then it slowly leavens the whole lump
Jesus said this is what the kingdom of heaven is like it starts out small gets really big
Creation and comes and rests in his branches You start off with small small amount of leaven and then it leavens the whole thing.
We're expecting to see this feeling of the whole earth
Of the kingdom of God and its effects and then from Revelation 22 We covered this in in a previous video
But but this is where Dan and I get this information of why this is going on now
Revelation 22 when Dan read about the The river and the trees on either side
Isn't it Ezekiel that we see this? We you go back to Ezekiel and the vision that he had
This is pointing back to that vision pointing back to Ezekiel and Ezekiel sees the water coming from the throne coming from the king
Then and this would be the the kingdom of God and as he Wades out in it.
It starts out really shallow and as he goes further out I mean it takes us to that progression the kingdom of God gets
Deeper and deeper and deeper and it grows as he wades out into it. So it's not an immediate thing.
It's not It's not something that it's going to happen in a twinkling of an eye The Bible tells us that this kingdom growth
It starts out small ends up big Starts out small fills the whole earth and it's a slower process
That's what we see in Scripture. And as that process is happening the
Bible tells us that Jesus is King and He is putting his enemies under his feet.
He's Slowly progressively getting rid of sin and and We our other brothers and sisters that have different eschatology.
They can see that in the in the individual redemption That process of sanctification and then later we're we're ultimately glorified
We see that also in the redemption of creation, right?
A part of the reason why we see is because we see the elements themselves
Being shown to us throughout Scripture as being something that God created and created good and something that is being
Talked about to describe in the end the the perfected creation
After redemption has run its its full course So we see that sprinkled all the way through through the whole process of before Christ after Christ That the whole way through Two instances if we're ready to Yeah, yeah.
Yeah two instances of that one is a little bit more vague. Bear with me It'll be okay.
We'll get we'll get on If we go to Genesis 2 Keep your thumb in Revelation because we'll come back to that.
I just want to point something out real quick We go to Genesis 2. There's one of those
Passages in verse starting verse 10 that just kind of describes something it's almost like a detail that you just Read once and well, that's nice to know and then you just kind of go on with it and never think about it again
But it says in starting verse 10 a river went out from Eden to water the garden From there it divided and became a source of four rivers
We'll bring out two things which Work with a question Which way does water flow?
Downhill yes downhill. So if Eden has four rivers there four rivers coming out of it
What is Eden's elevation? It's gonna be at a high point high it's either a mountain or a plateau of some sort with a spring from it for Rivers come out
Now, we don't know if it fought off in a waterfall went gradually We don't know we just know that because of no physics and the way
God created the earth that Eden was elevated to some extent Remember that come back to that. But when it talks about these rivers it says
The name of the first is Peshawn which flows through the entire land of Havilah I know
I'm butchering these just Where there is gold here's the important part. It says where there is gold
Gold from that land is pure Bedillium and onyx are also there pure gold bedillium which
Best translation is precious stones and onyx Now keep you or now keep your finger there run back to Revelation the book of Revelation Chapter 21
Starting in verse 18
The building material of its wall this talk about the new Jerusalem Of the building material of its wall is jasper and the city was pure gold as glass
And the foundations of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel jasper sapphire
Chalcedony Emerald sardonyx, which is the same as onyx onyx stone
Carnelian chrysalite barrel topaz Chrysa prep
Cry y 'all read it for yourselves. I'm struggling with it Jason and amethyst and The twelve gates are twelve pearls which bedillium has the idea of a precious stone or a pearl
So you see in the first? instance the first precious stones in Genesis that are mentioned are gold pure gold
Bedillium in onyx What is the new Jerusalem made with it's those same precious stones and metals and Here's the interesting part the new
Jerusalem being talked about here is talked. It's a description of the Bride of Christ It is speaking of redemption.
So what God had created as the dwelling place of mankind in Genesis When he's describing the dwelling place of God and man in salvation later, he uses those exact same materials
Because it's God using his creep using his creation in the first place to show us
The perfection that he would later Give to all of creation later through the redemption of mankind
I just found that very interesting That's Also, if you look at remember
Eden's elevated water flowing down out of it Keep that in mind and go to Isaiah 11, which
I should have marked all these out Isaiah 11 is talking about Jesus coming and raining over the whole earth
It talks about in verse 1 a shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse And a branch from his roots will bear fruit of the
Lord will rest on him. It goes on describing Jesus in his ministry in verse 3 it talks about him executing justice what he hears with his ears
By what he hears with ears. He will judge the poor righteously He will execute justice for the oppressed of the land.
He will strike the land with the scepter from his mouth. He will kill the wicked Um Righteousness is coming in verse
Six it says that the wolf will dwell with the lamb and the leopard will lie down with the goat
The calf the young lion the fatted calf will be together and a child will lead them
The cow and the bear will graze their young ones Will lie down together and the line will eat straw like cattle now
We remember that language is the same language we see in Isaiah 65 The language in Isaiah 65
Had the lane also the language of death The death was going to be there death was going to be a part of it, even though These curses were being rolled back
They're being pulled to the side to where you'd have someone who would die at a hundred and be considered young But this is that same language it also said it goes on in verse 8
An infant will play beside the Cobra's pit and a toddler will put his hand into a snake's den
And here's the where I'm bringing the point from the the elevation of Eden They will not harm or destroy each other on my entire
Holy mountain for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the
Lord as a sea is filled with water Or as other translations say the knowledge of the glory of the
Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the seas We see this language of his holy mountain
There was an understanding in the ancient world that you went to meet with God or your idea of a false
God To a high place They had the high places the groves the the they'd sit under the green trees.
They went to places that were tall This is most likely a leftover from the understanding that Eden was
Elevated no water flowed down from Eden into the rest of the earth Calvary was a mountain
Golgotha the place of the skull Was up on up high
God calls his holy mountain Jerusalem sat up on a hill
When he talks about his holy mountain He's talking about the redemption of all the earth
The creation itself the people on it the things that happen in it Every single thing that was created in the garden and created very good
One day again be very good whereas now it's under the curse later everything including the
Standing of God and man will be made right It'll be made right through the blood of Jesus Christ And that's the that's the important part of everything that we've been saying today that the the blood of Jesus Christ Cleanses the sin of the world
He came to the earth entered into his creation to redeem all of it
The reason why there's so much focus on mankind is because we're the ones that thrust sin upon the world
You know that the squeaky wheel gets the oil We got the oil because we were the ones over here causing a fuss we were making the trouble right
So God came down entered into into Humanity Lived a perfect life
Didn't sin he went to the cross to take upon our sins and the curse of all creation
He then took it to the grave Killing it Redeeming it raising up victorious.
I think Clint goes as disciples and says All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth
And then we see the rest of scripture where he's talking about how perfect the world will be
In the end that man will be redeemed that the creation itself will have no sin
Things will not decay any longer Animals will be vegetarians. They're gonna eat straw and grass
They're not gonna rip and tear each other all of those constant reminders of our sin
Will be gone because he's gonna wash away every tear he's gonna take the dirt out of our eyes
He's going to take away sin Live with him perfectly forever and ever
That is the most important part that the Dominion mandate that we were given was fulfilled and Is being fulfilled that's from Christ He is taking
Dominion he is subduing the earth as we were called to and now we have a responsibility to also
Work in service of subduing the earth by preaching the gospel that Christ has won the victory
So I got pretty good, but I haven't preached my As long as it's about Jesus preach on brother
And We We want the whole thing to be permeated about Jesus The beginning the middle of the end and as we wrap things up going back to What Dan read in Isaiah chapter 11?
Then a shoot will spring up in the stem of Jesse a branch from his roots will will bear fruit
If you flip back over to Revelation chapter 22 Verse 16
I Jesus have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches
I am the root and the offspring of David the bright and morning star
Amen, Jesus has fulfilled all prophecy Jesus won the victory
Jesus defeated sin and death and the curse and he is Reigning and he is putting all enemies under his feet and we want you to know him
We want you to be a part of his kingdom Jesus commands us to repent and believe the good news.
I heard Doug Wilson say that Christ has won the redemption redemption is there come and be redeemed
Come and be redeemed that it that is the command come and be redeemed Redemption has been won paid for bought and it is available come and be redeemed repent of your sins and believe the gospel
And with that then do you mind to close us in prayer? Sure Dear Heavenly Father.
Thank you for today. Thank you for all of creation We thank you for your son who died on the cross for our sins who died to redeem everything that he created
To be glorified in it and through us God We pray that those who don't know you would That we would know you those those of us who do know you would know and love you more and more
And then as we move on in this world that we would work to the end that your name is glorified
Everywhere it goes. Oh Thank you again for Salvation and in Jesus name we pray.
Amen. Amen. Thank you for watching. Remember that Jesus is King You're living that victory and let's continue to go out there together and proclaim the gospel.
Hope you will join us next time as we Look at another idea and concept from scripture.